5th grade Jacks headed to state basketball
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months AGO
The Quincy Jacks fifth-grade girls basketball team and their coaches stand together, celebrating their second-place finish at a previous tournament to qualify for the state basketball championships.
COURTESY PHOTO/SUMMER KELLER
CORRECTION: Summer Keller is the assistant coach for the 5th grade Jacks team. The 5th grade team also finished first in the Path to the Podium Tournament.
QUINCY — The fifth-grade Quincy Jacks girls’ basketball team qualified for the state tournament at the Podium in Spokane running from March 13-15. As the girls prepare for the tourney Assistant Coach Summer Keller said the girls are feeling proud to represent their small town.
The young Jacks team has been working hard since October, practicing 3-4 times a week and competing in over 10 tournaments under the leadership of the coaches Keller and her brother, Jeremy McCreary, to earn their spot at state, she said.
To get into the state competition, the girls had to compete in state qualifier tournaments and earn either first or second place. The Jacks took second in both the Thanksgiving Classic and the Top Tier New Years Jam and a first-place finish in the Path to the Podium Tournament to punch their ticket into state.
While this team is the only basketball team qualified to represent Quincy in the state tournament, Keller said next year she hopes there will be even more girls and boys teams from other grades competing.
The girls basketball team at Quincy High School has only reached the state tournament once in school history back in 1993. The coach said this fifth-grade group is determined to change that during their basketball careers and competing in this state tournament is the first step in toward building that future.
With the tournament a week away, the Jacks are reaching out to the community for support through a GoFundMe. Donations will help cover travel, tournament fees and other team expenses.
Those interested in supporting the fifth-grade Jacks as they head to state can go to https://bit.ly/QJacks5BB.
ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Tigers Cross Country ready for their biggest season yet
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Cross Country team is already hard at work to be in top shape for the 2026 season. With a strong group of returning runners alongside a solid group of new faces, the Tigers are eager to hit the ground running this year. “I’m feeling energized,” said Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts. “We’ve got a good group, one of the largest groups we’ve had in a long time.” The Tigers roster has over 50 athletes that have been participating in early season practices between the boys and girls, who Roberts said have all been mixing together well.
Lions set with smaller but strong squad
MOSES LAKE — Despite seeing a smaller roster this year, the Moses Lake Christian Academy Lions volleyball team is looking to build off their success from last season. With strong returners, the Lions are on track to stay competitive. “We lost some people, but we’ll be able to fill in, so that’ll be nice. Not quite at the numbers that we normally have, but we’ll make it work,” said Lions Head Coach Dean Spurbeck. The Lions concluded their 2025 season with a 10-8 record after battling through a tough Central Washington B League. MLCA entered into the postseason district tournament where they entered as the fourth seed and fell to the fifth seeded Pateros in the second round.
Huskies bring in senior experience for the coming season
OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies girls soccer team is preparing for another tough season in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. This year the Huskies are returning with an advantage as they bring back their full roster from last season. “We’re looking good; we’re trending in the right direction,” said Huskies Head Coach Victor Quiroz. “We’re bringing everybody back that we had last year on our varsity team, so we’re super excited. That makes it a lot easier going into the season.” Last season, the Huskies completed the regular season 6-9-1, which earned them a spot for the district tournament. Othello was eliminated in the first round of districts after a tight game against Prosser that ended in a shootout with a final score of 2-1.